


The Dress

by watermelonriddles



Series: It's A Date [4]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 21:23:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20824019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: Beth and Rio go dancing.





	The Dress

Beth’s looking in the mirror for the umpteenth time. The dress she’s wearing is black and slightly pleated at the bottom of the bodice and along the skirt which falls to just below her knees. It’s got a v-neck which, thankfully, doesn’t drop too low although she’s still taken to filling the space with the dolphin necklace that Rio had bought her. She had debated wearing her pearls but that would require actually asking for them back. It had crossed her mind once or twice in the past to see if he still had them, had even wondered if she would come across them when she broke into his place but she never had and the more time that passed, the more uncomfortable she felt about asking. In the end, she preferred the dolphin one anyway. She hadn’t taken it off since the aquarium and she wasn’t about to now either.

Her finger brushes against the little dolphin charm and then down to the blue stone that hangs below it. She rolls the stone between two fingers as she focuses back on the dress. It’s surprisingly soft and she can’t help but grasp some of the material between her fingers as she moves around in front of the mirror to try and see every angle. It’s light, almost to the point that it feels like she’s wearing nothing at all but she _knows_ it’s expensive.

She had woken up to someone knocking on her door. When she opened it up, one of Rio’s boys promptly handed a box over to her and left. It had been a pretty nice box. A brown base with a white lid that had some light grey detailing on it. There wasn’t, however, any reference to where it had been purchased. At first, she had been so preoccupied with laying the dress out on her bed to see it under the light that the potential price of it didn’t cross her mind. She knew she could find something that looked fairly similar for next to nothing but the more she looked at it and touched it and tried it on, she knew that it wasn’t cheap. The fact that it was from Rio only confirmed that for her. It had made her promptly take it off and pack it away safely so nothing could ruin it.

Now, several hours later, stood in front of the mirror with the dress on again, Beth’s still not entirely sure that she’s comfortable wearing it. Part of her had considered that it might be better if she knew just how much it cost. The tag is still attached and while it doesn’t have a price on it, she’s sure (with a little help from Annie) that she could use the other details to find it online. However, the other part of her was quick to realise that if she knew the price that would probably just make her freak out even more. And really, she doesn’t have the time even if she did change her mind. Rio would be arriving any minute now and it was far too late to go through the mess of clothes on her bed to try and find an alternative outfit. In the end, she tucks the tag into the dress so at least then she’ll have the option of returning it.

And it’s a good thing she had busied herself with doing her hair (an up-do with some strands hanging down at the front) and make-up (red lip, subtle blush, neutral colours everywhere else) beforehand in order to distract herself from worrying because suddenly there’s a couple of knocks at the front door and her time to get ready has run out. Taking a breath, she smooths her hands across the front of the dress before picking up her purse and heading towards the front door where she can already see Rio silhouetted through the window. There’s this growing tension inside of her and she can’t tell if it’s the dress or the fact they’re going to go dancing or if it’s the reality that somehow she’s going on _another_ date with him when even the first still feels like some kind of dream.

“Hi,” Beth says as she opens it up.

He’s facing away from the house and at first, he looks over his shoulder at her. As his gaze drops to take in the dress, his eyes travel down and then slowly back up, and a small smile forms. When he turns around, she gets a chance to really take him in and it feels like her brain just stops working when she gets a good look at the suit he’s wearing.

It’s a plain and fairly simple looking outfit. Dark navy blue with a black shirt underneath. It looks well made and she can guess that it’s probably on the more expensive side. Even with the top couple of buttons undone, no tie, and the suit jacket hanging open, it still fits him incredibly well and in all the right places. It looks good on him in a way that’s a little infuriating.

“Hey,” Rio says pulling her attention away from his clothes.

He moves his hand a little which draws her eye and she realises for the first time that he’s carrying flowers - a bouquet of pink roses to be exact. The sight of them makes her bite her lip as she struggles to suppress a smile over the fact that he had actually bought her some. He notices and has a smile of his own as he holds the flowers up to her. She takes them from him and has a closer look, even pausing to smell them. There’s something so cliche about the whole thing but the giddy feeling she has, tells her that that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Thank you,” she says, stepping aside to finally let him in. “I’ll put these in water and then we can go.”

“Marcus picked them,” Rio confesses as they walk to the kitchen. “Well, at first, he said I should get you pink flowers.”

She gently touches one of the petals. “And the fact they’re roses?”

“Not sure if they’re one of the only flowers he knows the name of,” Rio admits. “Or if he just thought it was the obvious choice.”

Beth finds it impossible to stop her smile from growing as she sets the flowers down on the counter for a moment. She doesn’t have a vase per se but she’s able to find a fairly large jug at the back of the cupboard. After filling it with water, she sorts the flowers so that she can place them inside. Happy with the arrangement, she sets it on the island counter until she can figure out where to permanently keep them. It’ll most likely be her bedroom, somewhere where she can see them every day, plus there’s the added bonus of Annie not noticing right away and making a big deal out of it.

“Well,” Beth starts as she goes to stand in front of Rio who is stood at the side of the island counter. “I love them. He has great taste.”

And the urge to just lean in and kiss him - something short and sweet, perhaps on the cheek - overwhelms her but before she even gets the chance to debate if she should or not, he beats her to it. His hand finds its way to her hip and then he’s leaning in to place a soft kiss on her cheek. For a moment he lingers there and she allows herself that brief time to let her eyes drift closed. 

When he pulls away, she smiles at him. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

The look on his face already gives her the answer. “Gotta learn to be patient, mama.”

“And I think you would’ve learned by now that I don’t handle things well when I don’t have all the details.” It’s a joke, for the most part. She keeps her voice light as she says it but she really does hate being out of the loop, has done ever since Dean- She lets out a breath instead.

“What?” His eyes go a little wide in faux-innocence. “You gonna call the cops on me again?”

She tilts her head from side to side a little as she contemplates it. “I mean, that would be a very appropriate date for us, wouldn’t it?”

For a beat he looks completely impassive but then he chuckles softly. All of that earlier tension seems to lessen and she can’t help but smile as he shakes his head. “And you say I’m impossible.”

Beth shrugs her shoulders a little and moves past him. “You are. Seems you did manage to teach me something.”

She hears the slight growl right before his hands are on her and he’s spinning her around to face him again. He presses himself so impossibly close, his arm snaking around her waist to hold her there. She’s breathless already, hates that fact but hates it more that he notices and grins at her. There’s not even a chance to come up with any kind of retort before he’s pressing forward and kissing her. Even if she wasn’t breathless before, she certainly is now. 

Still, that doesn’t stop Beth from leaning into him, her hands finding their way to his shoulders and along until her fingertips can touch the wings of his tattoo. She can’t help but think about how soft his skin is and how warm he seems to be. One of her hands moves to the back of his neck, slipping beneath the collar of his suit jacket and she begins to wonder if maybe she could convince him to take it off. All of that tension is almost gone and all she can think about as she kisses him is how good and right it feels. It made her feel bold in an unexpected way.

But then suddenly he’s not kissing her anymore and it takes her an embarrassingly long time to realise that she’s chasing his lips. The smirk he gives in response makes her blush and she bites her lip, leaning away from him a little. He reaches up until his hand finds hers at the back of his neck.

“We should be going,” he tells her.

Beth’s pouting before she has a chance to stop herself. “Should we?”

His fingers squeeze against her hand before he leans in to gently press his lips to hers. Just as she’s leaning into him again, he spins her back around. She only has a moment to steady herself before he’s gently nudging her in the direction of the front door.

“Plenty of time for that later.”

As they walk, Beth digs into her purse for her keys so she can lock the front door and that bold feeling is still clearly there because she asks him, “is that a promise?” 

Rio huffs out a breath that she would swear is of annoyance if it wasn’t for the amused look on his face. She just shrugs her shoulders a little and gives him the most innocent smile she can muster.

“If it hurries you up,” Rio starts. “_Later_, you can have and do whatever you want.”

“Oh, I definitely hope that _that _is a promise.” She catches him rolling his eyes as she turns to lock the front door. “Besides, what’s the big rush?”

He shrugs, a look of indifference. “Spent a lot on that dress. Want to see you in it before I gotta take it off.”

She eyes him carefully. “How much qualifies as 'a lot’?”

“That’s what you’re focusing on?”

And the rest of what he said finally hits her and she blushes, eyes darting down. “Who says I’m gonna let you take it off me?”

The second she says it, she knows it’s the wrong thing because he’s grinning at her. No matter how brazen she might have felt, Beth really could not compete sometimes. “Well, I don’t mind watching you take it off.”

“I hate you,” she mumbles as she walks past him to her car.

When Rio calls after her, she can hear the laugh that’s threatening to bubble over. “Hey, what’s the big rush?”

There’s an odd temptation to turn around and stick her tongue out at him but that just seems childish so she ignores him and climbs into the car. When he gets into the driver’s side, he’s still smiling and it doesn’t take long for her walls to crumble and for her own smile to form.

* * *

The place they pull up at isn’t exactly what Beth was expecting, in fact, it’s the kind of building she would have driven straight past. It looks kind of small from the front and the exterior is dark blue with a flat roof and a small neon sign above the door. Of all the thoughts running through her head, it’s nothing like she thought it would be once they get inside.

They have to go down a few steps but then it opens into a reasonably sized room filled with lots of people. There are booths where they stand and along the left side of the room. Directly across from them is a stage where a live band is playing. She doesn’t recognise the music but it’s slow and gentle and already creates an urge in her to sway a little. Along the right side of the room is a bar. The middle of the room is filled up by a dance floor as well as various tables - each one with a candle in the middle - and chairs. Almost everything is red, gold, or black and the lighting is low. It looks expensive and sophisticated and a glance at everyone tells her that those qualities extend to the people as well.

Rio takes her hand and pulls her towards the bar where he orders them both a bourbon. As she settles onto a stool, that nervous feeling is building back up again so when the drinks come, she doesn’t hesitate in knocking her's back.

He raises a brow at her and Beth gestures vaguely to the room. “It’s a bit…”

“Much?”

And she would feel bad if it wasn’t for his smile. “I just wasn’t excepting-” She gestures to the room again and then to her dress. “-all of this.”

His eyes drop to the dress. “Looks good by the way.”

“You have annoyingly good taste in clothes,” Beth says as she looks down at it because even though she’s sure it’s too expensive, it is wonderful.

“Yeah, well, let me show you that I got good taste in picking dates as well.” He finishes up his drink before reaching for her hand. “Come on, we dancing.”  
  
“Might need another drink before that.”

“Nah, come on.” He tugs on her until she has no choice but to get up and follow him to the dance floor. “We both know you can dance.”

“That was after a few,” she points out. “_And_ it was in the privacy of your apartment.”

“What?” Rio asks as he puts his hand on her hip and holds his other one out. “You wanna put on a show for me or something?”

Beth places her hand in his and puts the other on his shoulder. She decides as she looks at his slightly raised brow and the smile playing at the corners of his lips, that she can do this. “Yeah, maybe I do.”

It’s subtle but she catches the way he swallows and the almost-smile disappears. “Maybe, huh?”

“Thought we were dancing?”

At that, he twirls her and when she comes back around to face him again, they’re pressed so close to one another that her breath hitches. His hand abandons hers and both settle on her hips. Her arms wrap loosely around his neck as they sway. They’re so close that even their lips are practically pressed together and it would take no effort at all to close the gap completely.

It’s not hard to forget everything that’s going on around them. The music and the chatter become background noise and instead, all Beth can focus on is the sound of their breathing and the hammering in her chest. She wonders if he can feel it or better yet if his is doing the same thing.

“It’s soft,” Rio says suddenly, fingers grasping gently at the skirt of her dress.

She hums a little as she brings one hand down to press against his chest, her fingers smoothing out against the material of his jacket. “Still want to take it off?”

His response is to tug it up ever so slightly and she gasps a little, earning her an amused look as he releases the material, allowing for the skirt to fall back into place. “Might end up ripping it off at this rate.”

“You are _not_ ripping it.”

Then he’s kissing her, something slow and soft and almost hesitant. It’s nice. Just enough to allow her to sink into it as they dance. Everything about it is lazy. One second they’re kissing, the next they’re not, the next they are. It carries on like that for a while until eventually he’s twirling one of her loose strands of hair between his fingers and he’s looking at her in a way that she can’t quite describe but knows it’s to be treasured.

As the night moves on, the songs change (as does the singer at one point) but the music stays relatively the same and so does the band. Their dance is always slow and seems to require that they stay as close as humanly possible to one another. At one point, he twirls her around and pulls her back until she’s pressed against his chest. He’s got his arms around her chest and her head drops back against him and it’s impossible not to feel an overwhelming sense of comfort to be encaged by him like this.

“Told you I got good taste in picking dates.”

She wants to argue but she can’t so she hums instead. “Annoyingly good.”

* * *

Over the course of the night, they broke up their dancing with a few drinks here and there so that when they finally left, Beth felt light in the best way possible. It was warm as they walked to the car and she’s glad of it because Rio _finally_ pulled off his jacket. She had to bite back a groan when he rolled his sleeves up and faked innocence when he gave her a question looking.

It was his apartment they end up going back to - _it’s closer_, she tells him - and so they push inside his place, his hands already reaching for the light switch as she kicks off her heels and hangs her bag and his jacket up. When she turns back around, he’s there having already kicked his own shoes off, watching her carefully so she leans back against the wall. It’s that same look he gave her while they were dancing, the one she can’t quite explain only now, in the quiet of his apartment, it settles heavily on her.

“Are we really good?” Beth asks as he leans against the wall opposite her.

His face is blank but he does tilt his head ever so slightly to one side. “What you mean?

She wasn’t going to ask, was just going to let things play out. There’s no need to know if he actually likes her. After tonight, Beth knows that casual is just fine with her but for there to be _nothing_, she’s not sure if she can handle that.

“Back when things were bad,” she starts. “You said I was just work.”

And it’s not fair, Beth knows it isn’t. A lot has happened since then. Rio had gotten out of the car and told her, despite his anger, that it would be sorted and it had. Boomer had been found alive (seems he’s even more like a cockroach than any of them first anticipated) and he had even gone to the cops when Turner became so hellbent on sending her down for murder. She had always assumed Rio had something to do with it but the details never came up.

Although it looks months for her and Ruby and Annie to pay off their debts and earn some sort of trust with him again, it eventually led to her and Rio going on playdates with their kids and now Beth wants to take it back and start again but he’s answering before she can.

“Felt like it for a bit.”

She blinks at him. “What?”

He shrugs and she can tell from the look on his face that he’s trying to be honest. “You kicked me out and then decided you was done with it all. Didn’t stop you from blowing up my phone looking for help once you was back in. It was a lot considering…”

Pushing off the wall, Beth steps forward until she’s stood right in front of him. “Considering?”

“Don’t matter.”

“Sorry I pushed you away,” she says softly as she leans into him. “I don’t want to do that again.”

“Hmm cause you like me, yeah?” Rio asks, grinning at her.

She huffs out a breath. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“We’ll see.”

And he gives her a kiss that tells her that they really are on a different, better path. It’s purposeful like he’s mapping out every inch of her. He’s pressed up against the wall and she’s leaning into him, her hands on his shoulders. His are settled on her waist but one slips under her dress until his palm can press against her hip. Eventually, his finger begins to trace the line of her panties until it dips in and tugs them down. For a moment they have to break apart for him to pull them down and she helps him to do it, not wasting a second to begin kissing him again once she’s able to kick the material to one side.

It doesn’t take long for Rio to flip their positions so she’s the one pressed against the wall. It’s instant then, how quickly the pieces fall together. His hand finds its way between her legs and her hands tighten on his shoulders. He whispers things to her - some of them nice, some of them filthy - but as he circles her clit and his fingers push in and out, she isn’t able to make out his words at all. Soon her head drops onto his shoulder and, like the last time, he’s patient with her and never once falters in his movements until she’s biting down on his shoulder and tipping over the edge.

Suddenly, his hands are no longer on her and Beth whines a little but then she hears the sound of his buckle and then the zipper. She raises her head to look at him only for Rio to surge forward and kiss her. It’s not long before he’s naked from the waist down, clothes pooling at his feet, and then her dress is hiked up. Her lips find his ear as she practically begs him and then he’s pushing inside of her.

He’s got her pinned, holding her up in a way that still amazes her. Beth’s grasping at him with everything she’s got and it’s just like in the bathroom only this time is much different and far better. This time, she gets to kiss him. They’re close in every sense of the word and, as Rio mumbles her name against her lips, Beth’s confident now that even if she could put up a wall between them again, she wouldn’t want to.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to end this which is why it took so long for me to get it posted but hopefully, it works! If things go to plan, the next part should be set almost immediately after this one.


End file.
